Anchoring Silver Nanoparticles Research Articles

Covalent organic frameworks surface-anchored with silver nanoparticles for colorimetric detection of dopamine based on its oxidase-mimicking activity

Sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) is essential for the diagnosis of nervous system diseases. Herein, a nanozyme-based colorimetric platform for DA determination was proposed. Using an imine-type covalent organic framework (COF-TD) as a host matrix, a nanozyme (AgNPs@COF-TD) was fabricated by anchoring silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of COF-TD via in situ reduction of silver ions. Various characterization results confirmed the successful synthesis of flower-like AgNPs@COF-TD with surface-anchored AgNPs, which could expose more active sites. The as-prepared AgNPs@COF-TD exhibited satisfactory oxidase-mimicking activity with a low Km, which could catalyze the oxidation of colorless 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB) with significant absorbance at 657 nm. The introduction of DA not only reduced blue oxTMB to colorless TMB but also competed with TMB for the active sites of AgNPs@COF-TD, making a significant decrease in absorbance. Therefore, a label-free sensing strategy based on the oxidase-mimicking activity of AgNPs@COF-TD was successfully established for the colorimetric detection of DA, with a detection limit down to 0.2 μM. The practical applicability of this assay was further validated by analyzing DA-spiked human urine samples. This work provided a facile approach to prepare COF-based nanozymes, and demonstrated their great potential in colorimetric detection and bioanalysis.

Salophen Anchored Silver Nanoparticle as Nanoprobe Designed for Selective Sensing and Antibacterial Activity

AbstractIndeed, considerable efforts have been made in the domain of silver nanoparticles, including the construction and wide‐ranging applications. This work involves the synthesis and characterization of salophen anchored silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and its utilization for selective detection of Fe2+ and Cu2+ ions in DMSO. These AgNPs were synthesized by the reduction of Ag+ ions with salophen ligand, and were characterized by different techniques which include UV‐visible, fluorescence, FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, PXRD, DLS, and zeta potential. The negative zeta potential value of −19.6 mV evidenced the stability of the AgNPs. These AgNPs were found to sense Fe2+ and Cu2+ ions selectively in DMSO solution at various concentrations. Instant color change from olive to brown as well as olive to light olive was observed while detecting Fe2+ and Cu2+ ions by the nanoprobe, respectively. UV‐visible and fluorescence spectroscopic investigations were carried out to establish the sensing ability of the nanoprobe. Additionally, AgNPs revealed promising antibacterial activity selectively against gram‐negative bacteria over gram‐positive bacteria. Thus, our approach opens up a new track to design novel and operative functionalized nanomaterials for real‐life sensing and biomedical applications.

Silver‐anchored dendrimer efficiently Light‐drive conversion of p‐nitrophenol

AbstractEfficient use of solar energy for photocatalytic organic synthesis and degradation of organic matter is one of the most promising ways to solve energy shortage and environmental pollution. Silver/sulfur‐doped polyimide (Ag/SPI) was successfully prepared by anchoring silver nanoparticles on sulfur doped polyimide with dendriform structure by an open‐loop and closed‐loop method. Through the analysis of the structure, morphology and photoelectric properties by different characteristics, it is found that the anchoring of silver nanoparticles greatly reduces the electron‐hole recombination rate of SPI, and the cyclic stability is relatively good, and the electrons generated by photoexcitation can participate in the reduction of p‐nitrophenol more. Therefore, the activity of degradation of organic pollutants was greatly improved under the irradiation of visible light. At 5 minutes, the degradation rate of p‐nitrophenol reached 100 %, and the only product p‐nitrophenol was generated. The reaction time was 12 times that of SPI without anchored metal particles. The Ag/SPI dual‐function catalyst provides a new idea for the application of p‐nitrophenol wastewater treatment and the conversion of p‐aminophenol and provides a new reference direction for the field of organic wastewater treatment and organic synthesis.

A novel core-shell heterostructure of zinc oxide/metal-organic frameworks anchored silver nanoparticles for enhanced SERS and photocatalytic performance

Here, a novel well-ordered ZnO rod-flower/zeolitic imidazolate framework-M (ZIF-M, using 5-mercapto-1-methyltetrazole as ligand) core-shell heterostructure (Al/ZnO/ZIF-M, AZZ*) is induced by aluminum (Al) sheet. Subsequently, Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) are tightly attached to the ZIF-M layer in AZZ* through the strong Ag-N and Ag-S bonds, and a portable bifunctional substrate of Al/ZnO/ZIF-M/Ag (AZZ*Ag) is constructed. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) analysis shows that the AZZ*Ag substrate generates the stronger electromagnetic field intensity than the AZAg. Also, there is a strong synergistic effect among Al, ZnO, ZIF-M and Ag which can effectively facilitate the electron transfer. Importantly, the AZZ*Ag substrate exhibits outstanding SERS response with high sensitivity and selectivity for crystal violet (CV) molecules. The low detection limit (LOD) of CV molecule is 2.81 × 10−11 mol·L−1 with high analysis enhancement factor (AEF) of 1.93 × 106. In addition, AZZ*Ag substrate shows good photocatalytic performance for CV molecules with high degradation efficiency of 97.35% within 105 min, which is 4.72 times that of AZAg. Importantly, the SERS and photocatalytic performance of AZZ*Ag are 4.4 times and 3.09 times those of the Al/ZnO/ZIF-8/Ag (AZZ#Ag, using 2-methylimidazole as ligand), respectively. Moreover, the AZZ*Ag substrate displays excellent stability, good reproducibility, recyclability and uniformity. Thus, the designed portable bifunctional composite exhibits great potential for SERS detection and photocatalytic degradation of other pollutants in environmental wastewater.

Surface Engineering of AgNPs-Decorated Polyetheretherketone.

Metal nanostructure-treated polymers are widely recognized as the key material responsible for a specific antibacterial response in medical-based applications. However, the finding of an optimal bactericidal effect in combination with an acceptable level of cytotoxicity, which is typical for metal nanostructures, prevents their expansion from being more significant so far. This study explores the possibility of firmly anchoring silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into polyetherether ketone (PEEK) with a tailored surface morphology that exhibits laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS). We demonstrated that laser-induced forward transfer technology is a suitable tool, which, under specific conditions, enables uniform decoration of the PEEK surface with AgNPs, regardless of whether the surface is planar or LIPSS structured. The antibacterial test proved that AgNPs-decorated LIPSS represents a more effective bactericidal protection than their planar counterparts, even if they contain a lower concentration of immobilized particles. Nanostructured PEEK with embedded AgNPs may open up new possibilities in the production of templates for replication processes in the construction of functional bactericidal biopolymers or may be directly used in tissue engineering applications.

Anchoring silver nanoparticles using catechol-derived resins: An efficient and versatile approach for producing durable antimicrobial fabrics

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are one of the most popular antibacterial agents, but Ag NP-modified antibacterial fabrics often show poor laundering durability owing to the weak binding force of Ag NPs to the fabric. In this work, a hydrothermal synthesis of catechol formaldehyde resins (CFR) and Ag NPs from catechol, hexamethylenetetramine, and AgNO3 was developed, and a kind of coating called Ag/CFR was constructed in situ on the surface of cotton, polyester, polyamide, and their blended fabrics. Micromorphologies and chemical structures of the fabric and Ag/CFR coatings were studied, while the antimicrobial performance and other important properties of the fabrics were also investigated. The studies showed that CFR were generated in the solution and anchored Ag NPs onto the surface of the fabric. All the modified fabrics presented high antimicrobial activity with superior laundering durability, achieving a bacteriostasis and fungistasis rate of 99.99 % against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans, even after 50 laundering cycles. Ag/CFR coatings had little influence on the mechanical properties, air permeability, and feel of the fabric. All the antimicrobial fabrics showed low cytotoxicity to NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts and contained no residual formaldehyde. This work provides an efficient and versatile approach for producing durable coatings for antimicrobial fabrics, which can be widely applied to clothing, bedding, and decorations.

Interfacial Anchored Sesame Ball-like Ag/C To Guide Lithium Even Plating and Stripping Behavior

Lithium (Li) metal is a candidate anode for the next generation of high-energy density secondary batteries. Unfortunately, Li metal anodes (LMAs) are extremely reactive with electrolytes to accumulate uncontrolled dendrites and to generate unwanted parasitic electrochemical reactions. Much attention has been focused on carbon materials to address these issues. Ulteriorly, the failure mechanism investigation of lithiophilic sites on carbon materials has been not taken seriously. Herein, we design a new type of sesame ball-like carbon sphere (AgNPs@CS, an average diameter of ∼700 nm) with uniformly interfacial anchored silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which is used as the dendrite-free Li metal anode host. This anchored structure significantly enhances reversible and chemical affinity of Li, effectively inhibiting "dead Li". In addition, the protective effect of the carbon layer can avoid the damage of lithiophilic AgNPs in the carbon matrix. With a plating/striping capacity of 2 mA h cm-2, the AgNPs@CS electrode can be cycled over 2400 h at 0.5 mA cm-2. When the stripping voltage increases to 1 V, the AgNPs@CS electrode also enables excellent cycling stability to achieve over 260 cycles (1 mA cm-2, 1 mA h cm-2) and 130 cycles (2 mA cm-2, 1 mA h cm-2). This material by electrochemical characterization highlights the efficacy of this facile method for developing dendrite-free LMAs.

Titanosilicate ETS‐10 Molecular Sieve Anchored Silver Nanoparticles for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride: Synergetic Effect of H2O2 and Ag/ETS‐10 under Visible Light

AbstractHerein, a facile and effective photocatalytic method for the degradation of the tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) was proposed. The photocatalyst Ag/ETS‐10 was prepared by photoreduction, using cubic‐structured EST‐10 molecular sieves as the support for the silver nanoparticles. The synthesized photocatalyst Ag/ETS‐10 has small characteristic peaks and a chemical shift of Ag, resulting in a redshift. The results of photocatalytic experiments show that H2O2‐promoted Ag/ETS‐10 exhibits a superior visible‐light photocatalytic performance, and the degradation rate of TCH (50 mg L−1) is up to 94.9 % within 100 min, which is significantly better than pure ETS‐10 (23.9 %) and Ag/ETS‐10 (26.9 %). The reaction rate constant of H2O2‐promoted Ag/ETS‐10 is 17.75 and 31.55 times of those of ETS‐10 and Ag/ETS‐10, respectively. More importantly, the photocatalytic activity of H2O2‐promoted Ag/ETS‐10 remains stable after four cycles. The outstanding photocatalytic performance is due to the synergistic interaction of H2O2 with Ag/ETS‐10 to promote the rapid separation of photo‐generated electron‐hole pairs and enhance the generation of h+ and ⋅O2− radicals. In addition, the presence of silver induces the surface plasmon resonance effect and acts as a good acceptor for photogenerated e− in the photocatalytic reaction, enhancing the photocatalytic activities. This work provides a new insight for the design and synthesis of stable and efficient photocatalysts for visible light degradation of antibiotics.

Anchoring silver nanoparticles on nanofibers by thermal bonding to construct functional surface.

Generally, the anchoring of inorganic nanoparticles onto the surface of fibers faces the problem of poor stability, which limits the wide application of nanoparticle functionalized fibers. Herein, nanofibers with shell-core structures were constructed by coaxial electrospinning of two polymers with different melting points (Tm). Polyglycolic acid (PGA, Tm = 225 °C) was employed as the core layer, while polycaprolactone (PCL, Tm = 60 °C) was used as the shell layer. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were electrosprayed on the nanofibers and the shell layer (PCL) was heated and melted to bond the AgNPs, thus realizing a stable AgNP-composited nanofiber for the construction of antibacterial functional surface. By regulating the shell-core flow ratio and the condition for heat treatment, the appropriate thickness of the shell layer was obtained with a flow ratio of 3:1 (PCL:PGA). The optimal composite structure was constructed when the thermal bonding was taken under 80 °C for 5 min. Furthermore, it was found that the composite nanofibers prepared by thermal bonding had better hydrophilicity, mechanical property, and AgNPs bonding stability, and their antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) reached over 97%. Overall, a facile and universal method for the preparation of nanoparticle-anchored nanofibers was established in this study. The robust nanoparticle-composited nanofibers are promising for applications in optoelectronic devices, electrode materials, and so on.

Silver doped dodecahedral metal-organic framework anchored RGO nanosheets for nanomolar quantification of priority toxic pollutant in aquatic environment

Detection of hazardous environmental pollutants to maintain safety is a significant concern worldwide. In this work, we developed a reliable and sensitive electrochemical sensor for the effective detection of a priority toxic pollutant, 4-nitrophenol (4NP), in the aquatic environment. A ternary nanocomposite was sonochemically prepared by anchoring silver nanoparticles doped rhombic dodecahedral zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets. We employed a solvothermal method in the preparation of ZIF-67, and the graphene oxide prepared by the Hummer’s method was chemically reduced using ascorbic acid. Important characterization techniques including XRD, SEM, elemental mapping, TEM, XPS, BET, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, and EIS were used for evaluating properties of the synthesized nanomaterials. The prepared porous ternary nanocomposite evinced outstanding electrocatalytic activity towards 4NP determination, and the developed 4NP sensor showcased a very low detection limit of 0.3 nM and high sensitivity of 65.49 μAμM−1 cm−2. Furthermore, significant performance criterions, including stability, reproducibility, anti-interference, and repeatability were examined to prove the reliability of the proposed sensor in 4NP quantification. The practical feasibility of the developed 4NP sensor was also evaluated by carrying out experiments with river water, lake water, and underground water samples.

MXene-derived TiO2 nanosheets decorated with Ag nanoparticles for highly sensitive detection of ammonia at room temperature

• A novel AgNPS-anchored Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene–derived TiO 2 nanocomposite is fabricated for high-precision gas sensors. • The Ag@TiO 2 gas sensor exhibited a response value of 71.8 to 50 ppm NH 3 at room temperature with a detection limit of 5 ppm. • Enhanced NH 3 sensing response mechanism of the Ag@TiO 2 nanocomposite is discussed. Due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and low electronic noise, two-dimensional transition metal carbides (Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene) and their derived transition metal oxides have demonstrated significant potential for use in high-precision gas sensing. However, the construction of high-sensitivity Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene–based gas sensors operated at room temperature (RT) is still a major challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a sensitive nanocomposite prepared by uniformly anchoring silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene–derived transition metal oxide (TiO 2 ) nanosheets for high-sensitivity NH 3 detection. AgNPs can not only serve as spacers to effectively prevent the restacking of MXene-derived TiO 2 nanosheets and ensure an effective transmission highway for target gas molecules, but also enhance the sensitivity of the sensor through chemical and electronic sensitization. By integrating the unique merits of the individual components and the synergistic effects of the composites, the optimized Ag@TiO 2 nanocomposite–based sensors revealed an extraordinary response value of 71.8 to 50 ppm NH 3 at RT with a detection limit as low as 5 ppm. In addition, the Ag@TiO 2 NH 3 sensor also exhibits excellent selectivity and outstanding repeatability. This strategy provides an avenue for the development of MXene derivatives for advanced gas sensors.

Anchoring Silver Nanoparticles Using Catechol Derived Resins: An Efficient and Versatile Approach to Durable Antimicrobial Fabrics

Anchoring Silver Nanoparticles Using Catechol Derived Resins: An Efficient and Versatile Approach to Durable Antimicrobial Fabrics

A sandwich structure composite wound dressing with firmly anchored silver nanoparticles for severe burn wound healing in a porcine model.

Wounds may remain open for a few weeks in severe burns, which provide an entry point for pathogens and microorganisms invading. Thus, wound dressings with long-term antimicrobial activity are crucial for severe burn wound healing. Here, a sandwich structure composite wound dressing anchored with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was developed for severe burn wound healing. AgNPs were in situ synthesized on the fibers of chitosan nonwoven fabric (CSNWF) as the interlayer of wound dressing for sustained release of silver ion. The firmly anchored AgNPs could prevent its entry into the body, thereby eliminating the toxicity of nanomaterials. The outer layer was a polyurethane membrane, which has a nanoporous structure that could maintain free transmission of water vapor. Chitosan/collagen sponge was selected as the inner layer because of its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. The presence of AgNPs in the CSNWF was fully characterized, and the high antibacterial activity of CSNWF/AgNPs was confirmed by against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The superior wound healing effect on deep dermal burns of presented composite wound dressing was demonstrated in a porcine model. Our finding suggested that the prepared AgNPs doped sandwich structure composite wound dressing has great potential application in severe wound care.

Silver Nanowire Network Hybridized with Silver Nanoparticle-Anchored Ruthenium Oxide Nanosheets for Foldable Transparent Conductive Electrodes.

Facile strategies in flexible transparent conductive electrode materials that can sustain their electrical conductivities under 1 mm-scale radius of curvature are required for wider applications such as foldable devices. We propose a rational design as well as a fabrication process for a silver nanowire-based transparent conductive electrode with low sheet resistance and high transmittance even after prolonged cyclic bending. The electrode is fabricated on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) film through the hybridization of silver nanowires with silver nanoparticles-anchored RuO2 nanosheets. This hybridization significantly improves the performance of the silver nanowire network under severe bending strain and creates an electrically percolative structure between silver nanowires and RuO2 nanosheets in the presence of anchored silver nanoparticles on the surface of RuO2 nanosheets. The resistance change of this hybrid transparent conductive electrode is 8.8% after 200,000 bending cycles at a curvature radius of 1 mm, making it feasible for use in foldable devices.

Schiff base anchored silver nanomaterial: An efficient and selective nano probe for fluoride detection in an aqueous medium

Schiff base anchored plasmonic silver nanomaterial was designed and developed as a qualitative nano probe for fluoride detection in an aqueous medium. Schiff base encloses phenolic functionality has utilized as reducing as well as capping agent for preparation of the silver nanoparticles. The fluoride sensing was investigated by UV–Visible, FSEM and FSEM-EDAX analysis techniques. The UV–Vis and FSEM analysis illustrate that Schiff base anchored silver nanoparticles, exhibited SPR band at 475 nm and uniform spherical (28–30 nm) size which on interaction with fluoride, nanoparticles get agglomerate with a visual color change from brown to dark brown.

A dual-functional urea-linked conjugated porous polymer anchoring silver nanoparticles for highly efficient CO2 conversion under mild conditions.

A dual-functional urea-linked conjugated porous polymer (UCPP) assembled by enol-imine with ordered unit arrays that act as potential anchoring sites in the networks was fabricated, and was further applied as a support for Ag nanoparticles by the coordinate interaction between them. The UCPP not only can well confine the Ag particle size and facilitate high dispersion, but also can afford special CO2-philic moieties to enhance the adsorption properties. The resulting Ag@UCPP as a heterogeneous catalyst exhibited excellent activity for the carboxylative cyclization of propargyl alcohols with CO2 under mild conditions, together with good recyclability, which is probably attributed to the synergistic effect of the UCPP on the adsorption and activation of CO2 and the immobilization of Ag nanoparticles. This work affords possible opportunities for the design and synthesis of a heterogeneous catalyst toward CO2 conversion.

Fibroin‐functionalized magnetic carbon nanotube as a green support for anchoring silver nanoparticles as a biocatalyst for A3 coupling reaction

Novel and powerful fibroin‐functionalized magnetic carbon nanotube–supported silver nanoparticles (CNT–Fe3O4–fibroin–Ag) were successfully synthesized as a nontoxic and inexpensive biocatalyst. The structure of the organic–inorganic hybrid bionanocomposite was characterized by various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, energy‐dispersive X‐ray, field emission‐scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectrometry. Then, the catalytic activity of synthesized bionanocomposite was evaluated in the three‐component A3 coupling reaction under solvent‐free conditions with good to excellent yields. Several propargylamine derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of different aldehydes with amines and phenylacetylene. Biodegradability, biocompatibility, availability, easy synthesis, high stability, high‐throughput, cost‐effectiveness, and efficient magnetic separation are some advantages of this catalyst that make it economically justified and sustainable. Moreover, the catalyst can be recycled for several runs without appreciable loss in its catalytic activity.

Silver nanoparticles/polydopamine coated polyvinyl alcohol sponge as an effective and recyclable catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Abstract In this work, silver nanoparticles/polydopamine coated polyvinyl alcohol (AgNPs/D-PVA) sponge were prepared via anchoring silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the inner wall of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge with dopamine as intermediate. The AgNPs/D-PVA were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer, X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the AgNPs/D-PVA was evaluated for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol using NaBH4 at room temperature. The coupling effect of dopamine enables AgNPs to be firmly anchored on the inner-wall of PVA sponges. AgNPs/D-PVA exhibits excellent catalytic performance for 4-NP and a good stability up to 4 cycles without a significant loss of its catalytic activity. This work develop a low-cost, high-performance and reusable of AgNPs/D-PVA sponge for the efficient and eco-friendly conversion of toxic 4-nitrophenol into harmless 4-aminophenol, which has potential application in sewage treatment.

Encapsulation of Silver Nanoparticles in an Amine-Functionalized Porphyrin Metal-Organic Framework and Its Use as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for CO2 Fixation under Atmospheric Pressure.

A new porphyrin-based compound, [Zn3 (C40 H24 N8 )(C20 H8 N2 O4 )2 (DEF)2 ](DEF)3 (1; DEF=N,N-diethylformamide), has been synthesized by employing 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrin, 1,2-diamino-3,6-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene, and Zn2+ salt at 100 °C under solvothermal conditions. The structure, as determined by single-crystal XRD studies, is three-dimensional with threefold interpenetration. The usefulness of free -NH2 groups in the ligand was exploited for anchoring silver nanoparticles through a simple solution-based route. The silver-loaded sample, Ag@1, was characterized by powder XRD, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high-resolution TEM, SEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma MS analysis, which clearly indicated that silver nanoparticles with a size of 3.83 nm were uniformly distributed within the metal-organic framework (MOF). The Ag@1 sample was evaluated for possible catalytic activity for the carboxylation of a terminal alkyne by employing CO2 under atmospheric pressure; this gave excellent results. The Ag@1 catalyst was found to be robust, active, and recyclable. The present studies suggest that porphyrin MOFs not only exhibit interesting structures, but also show good heterogeneous catalytic activity towards the fixation of CO2 .

“Sandwich”-like structure modified anion exchange membrane with enhanced monovalent selectivity and fouling resistant

Surface modification is a critical method for fabricating novel anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with high monovalent anion selectivity and desired antifouling property. In this work, we have modified a commercial AEM with “sandwich”-like structure, composed of upper/bottom bilayers of polydopamine (PDA) and sandwich alternating bilayers of poly (sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS)/hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan-nano silver particles (HACC-Ag Np), aiming to enhance the monovalent selectivity and fouling resistant for electrodialysis (ED) application. Our investigations suggest that the permselectivity (PSO42−Cl−) of the modified AEM with 4.5 bilayers of PSS can reach 5.1, significantly outperforming that of commercial standard AEM (0.98). Due to the electrostatic repulsion resulted from the negatively charged top layer in sandwich structure and hydrophilia of PDA, the time elapsed until the occurrence of fouling (transition time) of the modified AEM (125 min) is much longer than that of the original one (60 min). In addition, anchored silver nanoparticles in sandwich alternating bilayers endow the modified AEMs with effective antibacterial activities of Escherichia coli. These results are indicative of the desired fouling resistant for ED process. The facile fabrication process and superior performances of modified AEM suggest that the as-prepared “sandwich”-like structure modified AEM is potentially applicable in ED for separation of monovalent and multivalent anions.